If community colleges were to find all the formerly enrolled students whose academic records qualify them for an associate degree and retroactively award them the credential, then the number of associate degrees awarded in the United States would increase by at least 12 percent.

At a time when community colleges are feeling more pressure than ever to improve their completion rates and new Ph.D.s are feeling more pressure than ever to find a job, graduate schools around the country are struggling with just what it means to prepare community college instructors.

Washington Monthly causes stir, yet again, by listing what it calls the "best" two-year institutions in the country -- using data collected by researchers who say their information shouldn't be used in that way.